“Dear Fathers and community. I am studying the catechism for catechumens and am about to become a child of God. More than a year ago, my family was facing many problems. I myself was also very stuck at that time. I rarely interacted with friends. If anything, it was just drinking parties. Otherwise, I closed my room and wrote music. Then, in a dream one night, I saw God. That night, I tossed and turned until almost dawn before I could fall asleep. When I woke up, I kept wondering why no one in my family followed the religion but I saw God?

I decided to learn about God. Every week I go to church to attend mass. I don’t go inside the church but sit outside. I sit under a tree and feel very cool. I listen to the sermons of the priest in charge of that parish. The special thing is that whenever I encounter something that week, the priest preaches exactly what I am going through. I see God’s love for me so I am determined to go to catechism to become a child of God. Since I have known God, my life has changed a lot. I feel more positive and energetic. Many people ask me if I go to catechism because I know someone in the religion? I answer that I will not follow the religion because I know someone in the religion, but I follow the religion because I love God.”

After listening to Phan Yen Nhi’s story, I thank God so much. God is still there. He is truly present in this life. He continues to call people to follow Him. So many people throughout history have heard God’s voice and followed Him. And in the midst of today’s hustle and bustle, God has revealed himself to Yen Nhi. Even though it is just a dream, that dream is real. I believe that He is guiding Yen Nhi’s life. Step by step, He leads her to meet and love Him. I pray and wish Yen Nhi all the best. I also feel a little jealous of her. I am a native Christian, but I have not seen God like her. I believe that many native Christians like me have not experienced God as deeply as she has. Her story reminds me and other native Christians to create a necessary silent space for God to come into our souls. We need to love God more because we have been loved by Him from the beginning.

After hearing Yen Nhi’s story, I also shared it with the priests in the diocese. A few days later, the assistant priest confided to me: “Father, I find Phan Yen Nhi’s story really interesting. I was startled by the image of her sitting under the tree outside the church. Since I was a child, I have always had an unfavorable view of people sitting outside the church. We often call them “root” Christians, meaning tree-root Christians. We call them with a very sarcastic attitude. After hearing Yen Nhi’s story, I will probably have to change.”

We must change , those are the words full of conviction of the assistant priest. I also share the same opinion with my assistant priest. I think not only the assistant priest and I but all those who have had and are having an unfavorable view of those sitting outside the church also need to change. We easily judge our brothers and sisters. Each person has their own choice and we need to respect them. I think if Yen Nhi had come to my parish. And that day, I happened to pass by and saw her sitting under a tree. If I had chased her away or had a bad attitude, there would not have been a Yen Nhi who shared so confidently about God like today.

In my hometown, there was a man who went to church and sat under a tree. Every week he sat there. No one told him to go into church. One time the priest invited him into church but he refused. He told the priest: “I can still hear you preach clearly when I sit here. If you don’t let me sit here, I will go home and not go into church . ”

In the parish I am taking care of, there is also a man who goes to mass and sits at the base of a tree. When the parish council invited him into the church, he answered very firmly: “Even if the parish priest came out to tell me, I wouldn’t go in, let alone you guys . “

Stories like this are not uncommon. If we look at it broadly, almost every parish or church will have some people who prefer to sit outside rather than inside the church. Whether they come in or not, you and I are invited to respect them because they may have their own concerns that we cannot fully understand.

Reading this far, you may wonder if it seems like I am encouraging people to sit outside the church? My answer is definitely not . I still want people to go to church to actively participate in the liturgy. Sitting outside, we are easily distracted, easily distracted. Not to mention sitting outside, we will easily be tempted to use our phones to surf social networks or play games instead of focusing on the mass.

Advent is coming to an end, another Christmas season is coming, what have you and I prepared to welcome the Lord? The message of this article is that we need to respect every person we meet, no matter who they are and what they do. Just yesterday, when I came back from Sunday Mass, I saw a man sitting under a tree outside the church, I just went up to him and patted him on the shoulder and said why don’t you come inside to avoid the cold? Sitting outside in the cold like this can easily catch a cold. I didn’t get angry or show any attitude. I wonder if I have really changed? Lord, please help me to have a tolerant and generous heart towards everyone. Please change me in every moment of my life so that I can be more like You. Amen.

Father Giuse Ta Xuan Hoa